TAJKAE
Tajkae, meaning “making tortillas” in the Yaqui language, is a tortilla press that merges tradition with innovation, honoring both the existing press and the tortilla itself.
PROJECT DETAILS
The traditional tortilla press—a staple in Mexican kitchens—often produces uneven tortillas due to its century-old mechanism, which remains unchanged. Skilled cooks compensate by rotating and pressing the dough multiple times. This project explores refining the press to create perfectly flat tortillas in one press while celebrating its cultural roots.
The design pays homage to traditional presses and draws inspiration from pre-Hispanic Indigenous sculptural motifs and modern Mexican architecture, including breezeblocks, a defining feature of the urban landscape.
FUNCTIONALITy
This press is designed to produce perfectly flat tortillas in a single, efficient press. Its mechanism balances precision and ease of use through three core principles. First, two parallel planes apply pressure from the center outward, ensuring even dough distribution. Second, dual connection points maintain parallel alignment while allowing the top plate to move diagonally. Third, the top press lifts and moves out of the way, supporting the natural rhythm of tortilla making without interruption.
CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
This iteration features a natural, color-blocked aesthetic, crafted from a combination of wood species: cherry for the body, walnut and maple plywood for decorative elements, an oak dowel for the handle, and pine half-spheres for the feet. A simple shoulder screw and threaded insert support the mechanism.
The body was constructed from solid blocks, while the top rim, connection points, arms, and decorative details were precisely cut using laser cutters. To balance technology with a human touch, I individually drew each element of the top pattern—ensuring that while it repeats, each portion remains unique.
